The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1887-12-15
Important Truths About Beef Tea.

To give beef ica alone to sick per-
son is to give him stone when he asks
for bread. 1t is not a food. it is a stimu-
liant! This is the startling information
that We read in Dr. Fothergill's Manual
of. Dletetics, published by William Wood
& 20. When flesh is boiled its slbumen
is coagulated, and beef tea as ordinarily
prepared contains no albumen. 1t is
practically destitute OF matter that can
ever form tissue, and is equally without
value as fuel food.
Says Sir William Roberts: There is
widespread public Misrepresentation in
regard to tho n1tritive value of beef tea.
The notion prevails that tho nourishing
qualities of the meat pass into the de-
coction and that the dry, hard remnant
Of the meat fiber which remains undis-
solved is exhausted Of its Hutriment
properties In making common beef
tea the Ingredients which pass into So
luton are the rapid extractives and as
lines of the meat. and nothing more,
except some trifiing amount of gelatine.
The meat remnants, on the other hand,
contain the actual nutriment of the
meat; and if this be beaten to a paste
with spoon, or pounded in a mortar.
and duly favored with salt and other
condiments, it constitutes not only
highly nourishing and agreeable, but
also an excecdin gly digeslible, form of
feod.''
DR.. King Chambers gives directions
for preparing nutritious beef tea: Make
the cook understand that tho virtue of
beef tea is to contain all the contents
and favors of lean beef in liquid
form; and that its vices are to- be sticky
and strong and to set like n hard Jelly
when cold. Lot her take half pound
OF freshly killed beef for every pint Of
beef tea required, and remove all fat,
sinew. veins and bone Let it be cut
into pieces under half an inch square,
and soak for twelve hours in one-third
of the water. Let it then be taken out
and simmered for two hours in the re-
manning two thirds of the water, the
quantity lost by evaporation being re-
placed from time to time. rhe boiling
liquor is then to be poured on the cold
liquor in which the meat was soaked.
The solid meat is 10 be dried, pounded
in mortar. freed from all stringy
parts and mixed with the rest This
has been termed whole" beef tea
l can see sundry readers, says DR..
Folhergiil, having been driven past the
stage of incredibly bv the hard logic of
facts. wringing their hands in anguish
over the thought of departed relatives
who lave been practically starved to
death on beef tea The mistaken views
about the nutritiye value of beef tea
have been murdcrous. Is food, it is
but the mirage of wafer seen by the
thirsty traveller in the desert; there is no
real water. So with beef tea, as COM
monty prepared, it is not food, but
stimulant.
Nv holc,' beef lea is no doubt q good
food; very good in convalescence from
acute diseases. when wasted muscular
tissue has TO be repaired. But in many
Gases it is open to question whether so
much albuminous matter is either good
or desirable. When this is not rscd,
there should be added Il tcaspoonful of
any baked -four to ieaspoonful of or
G,'iary beef tea, and some salt. Well
baked -four is largely changed into
soluble dex.rine; and beef tea. contain
ing some such addition, is 4 capital
food. Ii the baked -four be made irom
unbolted -four, then some albUminoid
matter is present Us well as the salis OF
the grain. Such will make AN ideal
huid food.-G0od housekeeping.